Apocalyptic Calamity: My Proficiency Panel-Chapter 22 - Trading_1

Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Trading_1

Chapter 22: Chapter 22 Trading_1

Li Ming set down his water cup, adjusted his safety sword with a laugh, then walked out of his house, pocketed the keys to his front door, and shut it behind him.

Across their floor’s hallway, a woman in a black shirt silently stood in place watching him. Their hallway was empty except for the two of them and she just happened to live across the hallway from the house Li Ming had rented.

Li Ming walked over to the woman, and she moved to meet him halfway. However, as he drew closer, she suddenly cast her gaze down to the ground, appearing a bit evasive.

Li Ming clearly took in the sight of her body. Even in ordinary pale pink trousers, it was hard to hide her exquisite figure. A sudden impulse ran through him as he yearned to cast a glimpse at the sensual legs she had inside those trousers, legs he had seen many times before but had never had the chance to touch.

“My name is Chen Li,” she said. “We’ve met before— I remember you. Um, thank you for the food you gave me earlier.”

Her face flushed slightly, looking as though she’d just had a quick bath, her body radiating the energy of a well-fed person. Clearly, she had made and eaten a quick meal not long ago, followed by a simple shower before she came out.

“That’s all right. Helping out with stuff like that is the least I can do as a neighbor.”

Li Ming smiled, knowing she had more to say and waited patiently as he continued to gaze into her eyes.

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“I… I don’t know how to express it. If you’d have me, I could be yours; as long as you feed me and look after me and my mother and my daughter.”

She seemed to struggle with what she was proposing for a long while, and finally gathering her courage, she looked up at Li Ming, her cheeks flushing.

Be his… just for food…

Her words came as a surprise—the leap in their relationship was too quick, too sudden.

But reflecting on the dire circumstances, after her family had gone so many days without food, it was a marvel she was able to stand and speak at all. Days of starvation could easily lead to death.

She had a daughter and a mother to feed. After going hungry for so many days, the appearance of Li Ming was like a lifesaver. There was no guarantee of another opportunity for food, so naturally, she’d cling to this as her last chance.

In such an environment, one’s comfort can be fragile. It’s instinctive to seek security from others and powerful men especially.

Li Ming was everything she needed. In such conditions, how could she not give herself to him?

Li Ming watched the woman silently. He took a deep breath and thought to himself, this poor woman, a mother and daughter to care for, with her husband not around and no food—what a tragic situation.

Food was scarce, and external dangers were at every turn. If no one looked after her, wouldn’t death be inevitable?

What should he do? Reject her?

Li Ming regarded her generous curves and determinedly shook his head.

I, Li Ming, am not a cold-hearted person!

“I guess there’s no other option. As a person with a kind heart, I cannot ignore your dilemma. I’ll take responsibility for you.”

Li Ming sighed deeply. As he spoke, he lifted her chin with his left hand and closely examined her startled face.

She was indeed beautiful and quite satisfactory.

Her red cherry lips were very enticing.

As the sound of their breathing echoed in the empty hallway, Li Ming gradually loosened his grip around her. Looking at her flushed face, he made sure to take in her curvy silhouette before finally looking at her pastel pink trousers.

These trousers were unfit for her, they needed to be checked out.

Li Ming crouched down…

……

……

……

After a while.

“Every day, I need to be with my daughter. At night, I can come to you once she’s asleep. But I must return by morning, otherwise she will cry out for me.”

Seated in Li Ming’s lap, Chen Li looked into his eyes and spoke softly.

“Fair enough. Remember to come to me every night, and let me know if you need anything to eat. It’s all yours.”

Li Ming’s eyes shone brightly. He was not short of supplies, and so naturally, he was not stingy. He enjoyed Chen Li’s softness, which was a different flavor from Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan’s beauty was radiant whereas Chen Li exuded a sense of voluptuousness and maturity.

Both were to his liking.

Just yesterday, he had been longing for a woman to share his bed, and now his wish had come true. It was interesting how unpredictable life could be.

Relieving indeed.

“Hm. So, I will see you tonight.”

Chen Li nodded and murmured in agreement. She glanced at her house across the hallway and voiced her concerns.

Li Ming could see her worry. He nodded knowingly, swiftly pulling up her trousers for her and watching her return to her apartment.

“Whew. Maybe this apocalypse isn’t so bad.”

Relishing the afterglow, a glint sparked in Li Ming’s eyes as he murmured to himself.

The apocalypse meant destruction and rebirth, and as long as one had the power, their wishes could grow and be fulfilled without end.

Before the world began to fall apart, these desires were only fulfilled by the wealthy— the tycoons and the rich.

But now, it’s him!

The one with power!

Before the apocalypse, Li Ming had only been in a relationship once during his university days, which ended after graduation due to his lack of money.

His roommate, Zhang Yuan, was very attractive and exactly his type, but she was someone else’s wife, as was the current Chen Li; he could only admire them from afar.

But now, they were within his reach, wasn’t this a form of luck?

“The apocalypse…”

Li Ming squinted his eyes and tightened his grip on the sword hilt around his waist, then casually returned to his room.

A paradise for the strong!

………

When he returned home, he smelled something delicious. He went into the kitchen to find Zhang Yuan frying a pot of potatoes and chicken legs. Pleased, Li Ming playfully gave Zhang Yuan a pat on the bottom as encouragement.

Then, he returned to his room, picked up his spear and carefully wiped it clean.

After cleaning the stains left by the zombies, Li Ming rinsed the spear with the rice water Zhang Yuan had left and then dumped the dirty water down the drain.

Upon closely inspecting the blade of the spear and finding no damage, Li Ming felt satisfied. But he also considered finding alternate weapons.

His weapons, both the spear and the sword, were bought online and, while sturdy thanks to modern craftsmanship, were sure to eventually wear down.

Now that he was skilled in both the spear and sword, he didn’t want to part with either of these effective weapons suited for various scenarios.

So he pondered what to do if the spearhead or the shaft broke, or if the sword broke.

And what if he lost his weapons altogether? How much combat power would he still have?

“There’s a hardware store on Changfeng Road, maybe I can find something useful there.”

Li Ming thought to himself and looked at his hands, feeling maybe he should expand his combat abilities.

With this thought, Li Ming pulled out his cell phone, turned off the super power-saving mode and searched the local cache of his apps. His gaze didn’t stray from the four videos he had previously viewed and saved.

Martial Arts Basic Training; In-Depth Teaching of Form and Intent of the Five Elements; Eight-Section Brocade; Detailed Teaching of Tai Chi.

He already knew the basic martial arts training method, which included leg presses and exercises for horse stance punches, and had been practicing them these past couple days.

The form and intent of the Five Elements was a basic fist method; Eight-Section Brocade and Tai Chi were Qigongs for health. He had practiced Eight-Section Brocade many times and had memorized it; he had forgotten Tai Chi, but hadn’t learned the form and intent of the Five Elements at all.

He had impulsively saved them but never actually learned or practiced them.

After some thought, Li Ming tapped on the video for the form and intent of the Five Elements.

He had watched Eight-Section Brocade and Tai Chi; although some Tai Chi styles were quite powerful, he could only learn the versions for health benefits, which he didn’t think were very useful. However, he now believed the form and intent of the Five Elements may prove useful.

While thinking this, Li Ming watched the instructional video for a bit. Just as he finished the section on the chopping fist, he heard Zhang Yuan turn off the stove in the kitchen.

The Five Element Fists include the Chopping Fist, Drilling Fist, Crushing Fist, Cannon Fist, and Cross Fist. Li Ming didn’t rush to practice, he just turned off the video and tidied up the tables and chairs. Soon after, Zhang Yuan brought the potatoes and fried chicken legs.

“Time to eat.”

Zhang Yuan put the dish on the table, her skirt fluttering, then brought two bowls of rice, setting one in front of Li Ming and the other in front of herself, then sat next to Li Ming.

“Aren’t you going to serve your husband?”

Li Ming casually asked as he confidently placed his hand on Zhang Yuan’s thigh, his other hand holding his food.

“Let’s eat first, we can save the leftovers for him.”

Zhang Yuan shook her head and replied softly. Li Ming chuckled lightly and nonchalantly began to eat his food.

Li Ming ate fast, while Zhang Yuan ate slowly. By the time Zhang Yuan finished one bowl, Li Ming had finished two. However, as soon as Li Ming finished, Zhang Yuan filled his bowl again. Throughout the whole meal, Li Ming didn’t move a muscle, Zhang Yuan served him by herself.

She really is efficient.

After eating, Zhang Yuan poured Li Ming a glass of water then took the leftovers and put them in her room.

Li Ming finished his water, but rather than continuing with the form and intent of Five Elements video, he went to the living room to study the generator.

Following the instruction manual, Li Ming tried pouring a bucket of fuel into the generator and attempted to connect the wires. He adjusted various settings and then started it.

“Vrrrr….”

The generator started with a hum. Li Ming’s heart leapt, but then settled. The engine’s sound wasn’t very loud, only about as loud as a large electric fan, which relieved him.

If it were too loud, he would definitely have a hard time deciding whether or not to use it. After all, no one was sure if the apocalypse only brought ordinary zombies to the streets or if other monsters existed.

If other monsters did exist, the noise might attract unnecessary danger.

Since the generator wasn’t too loud, he felt relieved and thought, true to its reputation, this latest model is pretty good. He then went to his room to test the generator with a socket in his room. A small smile touched the corners of his lips as the refrigerator started running normally!

Even though the generator couldn’t run continuously, as long as it kept the refrigerator cold, it would suffice.